Worlds at War
by The Gitani Principessa
Summary: Four Seventeen-year-old friends have been talking about this game for a long time. Finally they can get their hands on it, but when they play, they find out that it is hardly just a game. Their lives, and the lives of everyone around them are at stake now.
1. Beta Release

It was here, at last. After fighting his father tooth and nail, he finally had the game he had been waiting all weekend for. SBURB. This young seventeen-year-old boy couldn't be happier about it. Jumping to his computer, he pulled up his Persterchum, nabbing the attention of his friends by shoving them all into a group chat.

-ectoBiologitst [EB] created a group chat-  
-ectoBiologist [EB] added turntechGodhead [TG] to the group chat-  
-ectoBiologist [EB] added tentacleTherapist [TT] to the group chat-  
-ectoBiologist [EB] added gardenGnostic [GG] to the group chat-  
EB: hey guys, guess what?  
TG: did you get the fucking game yet  
GG: Ooh! Did you?! Please say yes, it sounds like so much fun!  
TG: hey TT why arent you getting all up on his dick  
TG: werent you jonsing to play this game  
TT: Yes; however, I see no point in getting needlessly eager if this is not the case.  
TT: Honestly, I wondering what terrible Nicolas Cage movie EB is about to ramble at length to us about this time.  
EB: guys, guys, I did get the game!  
TG: isnt it like  
TG: a couple of days to your birthday  
TG: thats some awesome shit right there  
TG: hey TT i guess this is cause for you to get all up on egbrett dick  
GG: Dave, be nice!  
TG: im sorry but i do not understand the command be nice  
TG: i can only respond to command that begin with mock _ endlessly or flirt with _ incessantly  
TG: speaking of the latter  
TT: Will you two stop flirting long enough for John to finish fangasming over his newest acquisition?  
TG: im just waiting for you to get all up on his dick like we all know you want to  
TG: besides hes probably too busy blushing furiously at the shit going down in this chatroom  
TG: strider infinity eggbret zero  
TT: -sigh- Remind me why I tolerate you, Dave?  
TG: i seem to remember three days ago you were getting all up on my dick because i got a copy of this game  
TG: so basically  
TG: strider gets all the bitches and ogbert gets one  
GG: I think Strider stole this chatroom from poor, defenseless John…  
GG: I'm sorry.  
TG: yeah i hacked into his computer and everything  
TT: John, are you still breathing?  
TT: Do we need to call for the paramedics?  
EB: no, I'm okay  
TG: ok good  
TG: ugbutts still alive  
EB: Dave stop doing that to my name!  
TG: im sorry john i cant do that  
TT: Regardless. John, you had an avid interest in playing this game?  
TG: oh no rose this has been derailed  
TG: we are not getting back on track if i have anything to say about it  
EB: Yes, Rose, I was interested in playing this game  
TT: I would be more than happy to connect with you.  
GG: Looks like you've lost this round, Dave.  
TG: meh  
TG: i never really cared honestly  
TG: i just like fucking with those two  
TG: and john dont you dare take that as a clustered statement  
EB: uh, Dave?  
EB: I am not a homosexual  
TG: wow john  
TG: way to make it creepy  
EB: YOU'RE the one who started hitting on everyone  
EB: Except me…  
EB: I think….  
TT: David's homosexual tendencies aside, I believe this game would be much more enjoyable should there be more than just the two players.  
TG: hey now  
TG: its not homosexual if theres girls too  
GG: I wouldn't mind playing  
TT: Thank you, Jade.  
TG: besides how can i be a homosexual when i am all about that harley ass  
TG: aw yeah girl shake it bake it bootie quake it  
GG: DAVE!  
GG: /  
TG: roll it around  
-ectoBiologist [EB] has removed turntechGodhead [TG] from the chat room-  
GG: /  
TT: I think he broke Jade.  
EB: uh, are you alright?  
GG: I'm fine  
GG: Just….  
TT: Strider?  
GG: Strider  
EB: you know i love it when you say my name  
EB: WHAT THE FLYING FUCK  
-ectoBiologist [EB] added turntechGodhead [TG] to the group chat-  
TG: anyway im back  
EB: HOW DID YOU FUCKING DO THAT?!  
TG: eggbot there is literally no way to be worse at computers than you  
TG: unless i guess youre some kind of gray alien who never saw a computer in his whole life  
TG: but what is the likelihood of that i mean really  
EB: DAVE!  
TG: john  
EB: DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVE!  
TG: joooooooooooooooohn  
TT: Boys, please.  
GG: Yeah!  
GG: Shut the hell up, both of you!  
TG: only if i get to hear more of you  
GG: Not if you keep this up.  
GG: I will make you sleep on the couch, mister.  
EB: uh, I have two questions  
GG: Shoot.  
EB: first, since when were you two living together?  
GG: We're not.  
EB: second, since when were you two dating?  
TG: oh lets see  
GG: Dave, don't go there.  
TG: carry the one  
GG: Dave, no.  
TG: to the power of itself  
GG: Dave Strider, you shut your mouth.  
TG: make me  
GG: I would but you're in the middle of nowhere Texas.  
TG: im not in the middle of nowhere texas  
TG: i live in houston  
GG: You forget I don't know where that is.  
TG: you have google  
GG: And?  
GG: What, am I supposed to input your address into google maps and spy on you and your Bro?  
TT: Dave, don't answer that.  
TG: aw but i was going to make a witty retort about strapping young men with rippling muscles and galloping abs  
TT: Which is why I told you not to say anything.  
TG: honestly i wouldnt put it past anyone  
TG: i mean honestly  
TG: who wouldnt want the strider dick  
TG: the answer  
TG: john  
TG: because he is not a homosexual  
EB: Dave  
TG: yes john  
EB: Stop  
TG: i would say make me  
TG: but you cant  
EB: Jade, remind me why you like this insufferable prick?  
GG: I dunno…  
GG: It might be because he's just so cool.  
TG: jade we might as well tell them now  
GG: :?  
TG: the real reason  
GG: …  
EB: Dave  
TG: im actually secretly incredibly emotionally unstable  
TG: every night i cry on her shoulder until we fall asleep  
TG: its quite sad really  
EB: Dave  
TG: yes john  
EB: Shut up  
TG: never  
GG: ….  
TG: oh wait you were waiting for me to make a comment about you wanting the strider dick  
GG: No.  
TG: but that really goes without saying  
TG: i mean honestly  
TG: weve been over this  
GG: Dave  
TG: strapping young men  
GG: Shut it  
TG: galloping abs  
TG: of course theres nothing more sad than sobbing quietly while receiving a blowjob  
GG: DAVE!  
GG: Stop!  
GG: /!  
TG: aw youre so cute when you blush like that  
GG: Rose, are you okay over there?  
EB: yeah, you've been awfully quiet  
TT: Oh, I am fine.  
TT: I am just in the process of psychoanalyzing every word that Mr. Strider types into this chatroom.  
TG: heres something for you to psychoanalyze  
TG: suck my distri  
TT: Really?  
TG: you have to remember there are layers upon layers of irony  
TT: Yes, I am more than well aware of this fact.  
GG: ANYWAY  
GG: Dave, will you play this game with us?  
TG: maybe if someones life depended on it i guess  
TG: otherwise im not that interested  
TT: That's good enough for now.  
GG: Yeah, we'll convince him later.  
TG: oh yay jade gets to convince me  
TG: i know what that means  
GG: Dave.  
GG: Mind  
GG: out of  
GG: the Gutter.  
TG: imagine i wrote that in a singsong voice  
EB: alright, we're done for now.  
EB: BYE everyone.  
-ectoBiologist [EB] removed himself from the chatroom-

Now that this particular headache was over, he and Rose could get down to business. After a series of rather unfortunate events, he found himself in an entirely different city from the sleepy suburbs he had been in only minutes prior. These events would be strikingly similar for all who play the game, across worlds, timelines, and even universes. Contacting Rose again, John quickly learned that the frightening meteor occurrence was not simply confined to his area. She was also under attack, and trying to get Dave to help her, to very little success. After being assured that she would be alright, he left her to her devices and set out to explore this strange city he found himself in.

It was huge, with tall, light-blocking skyscrapers. He could see for miles, given that his house had landed right on top of the tallest one around. Looking around for a moment, he found a door leading inside. Moving down the stairs, he began to see people. Real, living people. Was this just a city he hadn't seen before on Earth? No, it couldn't be. According to Rose, the entire planet was being besieged by meteors at the moment. This place was free of any kind of world-ending panic and turmoil.

Besides, upon closer inspection, these people didn't quite look right. They were all increasingly pale, like none of them had ever seen the light of day in their lives. Their hair was either bleach white, or black as the shadows that surrounded them. Their eyes were milky, like they hadn't ever been used. It kind of unnerved John to look at them too closely, so he moved on, deciding to just head down to the bottom of the skyscraper to see what was really going on. Below, he found out just why everyone was so pale. The buildings, tall as they were, completely overshadowed the narrow streets, making it seem almost night time. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, and then he set off exploring.

While he looked around, Rose managed to make her way into the game and convince Dave to let Jade help him enter as well. The city she found herself in was far different than she had expected, though to think she would end up in the same area as John was a ridiculous thing to think anyway. Her city rose up out of the water, with various tunnels and pathways connecting towers together. Cautiously making her way inside the structure she found herself atop, she inquired around at her own variants of humans. Though hers were more familiar, there were striking differences that stood out. They were taller, slimmer, but powerful. Just in the way they carried themselves, she could see the muscles flex and bend. These people spent quite a long time in the water on a daily basis, of this there was little doubt. Setting out to explore her own city, she regretfully left Dave in the only slightly capable hands of Jade.

The latter of which only barely managed to keep Dave from dying by meteor strike before he could even get in the game. His Bro proved to be rather instrumental in saving him. Having calmed down enough to think rationally again, Dave left his apartment to traverse his own city, meeting his own people. The buildings were set farther apart than either John's or Rose's, with long walkways over the lava ocean they were built above. The people all had sooty, leathery skin, dark, small, sunken in eyes and very little in terms of hair, and covered from head-to- toe in linin robes and the like.

This left Jade, alone, and with a large meteor aimed right for her island. Running out of ideas, she raced back to her computer and tried desperately to get in touch with any of her friends. Finally, she managed to grab hold of John.

-gardenGnostic [GG] began pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 18:34-  
GG: John?  
GG: John please answer me.  
GG: John I'm in serious trouble here!  
GG: Where the hell are you, Egbert?! I'm gonna die!  
EB: Oh shit, sorry!  
EB: I've been up to my neck in weird puzzle shit.  
GG: Well get your ass back to your computer and come be my server player!  
GG: There's a huge meteor aimed straight for my island!  
EB: Oh shit!  
GG: YA THINK?!  
EB: I'm sorry, Jade!  
EB: I'll get there as soon as I can.  
-ectoBiologist [EB] ceased pestering gardenGnostic [GG] at 18:59-

After a few more perilous minutes, Jade too found herself in a new city. It was snowing, and the buildings were made entirely of wood, some of which were even built into the sides and boughs of huge trees. As she stepped out of her house, she was greeted by people with a strange pallor about them. Many were almost tinted blue, as if caught with a constant case of frostbite. Others were deathly white, covered by a few flecks of ice. More still had a bit more color to them, with brightly colored noses and cheeks. It was a little unnerving for the girl to see them like this.

Returning home after a few minutes of exploring, she nabbed her laptop again and tried to get in touch with Rose, who told her that there should be some quest for her to complete in this strange new city. Remembering one of the more sturdy edifices she had seen, Jade agreed and left once again. Returning to that spot, she found that this was the only building made out of stone. She remembered getting a strange key from one of the peoples she spoke to, and they had aid it was the way to the Forge, whatever that meant. Fishing it from her sylladex, Jade searched the entrance for somewhere to put it. There! A small hole in the center of the door. Using the key, the door groaned and slowly slid open, blasting her with a huge gust of odd-smelling wind.

Shrugging off the strangeness, she stepped into the building and began to explore. Little did she know that by opening that Crypt, she triggered something far more dangerous than anything she would find below ground.


	2. Unsettling Discovery

The Crypt beneath the frost was dark, as one would expect, but the air was not as stale as it should be. Apart from the gust of wind that nearly knocked her off her feet, Jade found herself breathing in fresh, clean air. Pulling a flashlight from her sylladex, she swept the beam across the area. Nothing out of the ordinary, cobwebs on the walls, dust covering the floor, the works. John may have recognized it from one of his shitty movies or something, but for Jade, It was all kind of eerie. A layer of frost coated the walls, making it colder than it otherwise would have been, and making Jade really wish she had brought a coat or something with her when she had left her house.

Cursing her lack of foresight, she did what she could, travelling down a slightly steep path. A sound nearly made her jump out of her skin, pulling out her lunchtop, she pulled up the group chat to see who was complaining about what now.

TG: so jade youre in the game right  
TG: i got distacted and now all i see is your giant fucking house  
TG: all standing up like some kind of fucking monument to the stupidity of all this shit  
TG: just tell me youre alright okay  
TG: you didnt die or anything and i didnt fuck up our whole session right  
TG: i mean john might have by virtue of being fucking missing for how long now?  
TG: i think its been like an hour since we last heard from him over here  
TG: please be alright jade  
GG: Jeeez would you relax?  
TG: jesus fucking christ  
GG: I'm fine.  
TG: thank the fucking lord  
GG: I got into the game and everything.  
TG: i think im a fucking christian now or something where the hell are you  
GG: I'm in this weird crypt thing I found.  
GG: everyone I talked to seemed to avoid it saying something about waiting for the Witch to open it or something.  
GG: So I opened it and went to take a look inside.  
TT: So you have one as well?  
GG: Holy shit Rose, you're here too.  
TT: Well yes, this is a group chat, remember?  
- Attempting to reconnect with ectoBiologist [EB] -  
TG: oh great here it goes again  
TG: another fucking useless attempt to connect with fucking eggman  
TG: i swear to gog i will eat my shades if this one works  
TT: I doubt it.  
TT: He's a bit preoccupied at the moment.  
TT: I can see him from here.  
TT: It's a bit…  
TT: Disconcerting, I can assure you.  
GG: Really?  
TG: and it only fucking dawns on you NOW to let me in on his situation?  
TG: jesus fucking christ rose you suck at this whole keeping people in the loop thing  
TG: here I thought it was this whole big mystery about whats going on but NO  
TG: ms lalonde knows fucking everything and did the whole time  
TG: MYSTERY SOLVED we can all go home sorry sherlock we wont fucking need your help this time  
TT: Strider, shut your mouth.  
TT: I did not tell you for two reasons.  
TT: One, because you never bothered to ask me, his server player, if I could see him.  
TT: And two, his situation was decent until they broke down the door.  
TT: Though it's only a few right now, he should be fine if he can get up onto the roof.  
TT: One moment while I give him an access point.  
TG: one  
TG: i didnt fucking ask because you preempted me with a whole case of  
TG: Oh, I'm Rose Lalonde and I know jack shit about what's going on right now,  
TG: and basically lied to me  
TG: two  
TG: what the fuck do you mean they broke down his door  
TG: who is THEY  
TT: I am not quite sure who they are.  
TT: And I never outright lied to you. I simply told you what I knew at the time.  
TT: He was not at home when I asked you if you knew what was going on, therefore I could not see what he was going through.  
TT: You simply failed to ask me if he ever returned home, which he did a few minutes ago.  
GG: Uh, don't you think we should go give him a hand?  
GG: I mean…. Can we even go give him a hand?  
TG: i was on route the moment i heard his door was broken down  
TG: ive been using my shades this whole time  
TG: probably wouldnt be a good idea to eat them seeing as theyre my only portable computer  
TG: and rose if you havent opened your crypt thing yet then dont I have a seriously bad feeling about them  
TG: now im about to ollie onto johns world please hold  
- turntechGodhead [TG] has left the group chat -  
GG: Well shit.  
GG: I opened mine, what should I do, Rose?  
TT: I suggest going back to your house and barring your doors and windows, as a safety measure.  
TT: At least until we can figure out what is going on, alright?  
GG: Okay.

Closing her lunchtop, Jade practically sprinted back to her house, flying past the myriad of frozen frogs and people. Reaching her house, she did as she had been told, barricading herself inside. Opening her lunchtop again, she waited impatiently for someone to tell her what was going on.

Meanwhile, in John's world, the situation was grim, even after finding his way onto the roof by way of a convenient hole placed there by Rose, he was nowhere near safe. Using his hammer, he managed to keep knocking back the creatures that had started chasing after him when he had gotten close to his house. He couldn't even tell what they were most of the time, it was so dark. All he knew was the patter of feet and the shallow, shaky gasps of the things trying to kill him. He was so a dead man if they didn't stop managing to get up through the hole.

Luckily for him, he didn't have to wait very much longer before Rose closed the hole with something a bit sturdier than a simple wooden door. A few moments after that, a flash of movement headed straight for where his front door had been. Several crashes and a few curses later, the plug for the hole was removed to reveal Dave, who jumped onto the roof where he collapsed in a heap, panting. "you fucking…. owe me…. egbert."

"dave?! w-when did you get here?"

"i have been running… at a dead sprint… for three miles…. i dont know"

After a brief reunion, Dave reconnected to the group chat.

TG: sup i saved john  
TG: thats really all there is to say about the matter  
TT: So I can see.  
TT: You look exhausted.  
TG: yeah well you look at this  
TT: Dave, flipping off the sky will accomplish nothing.  
TT: Pass your shades to John, please.  
TT: I'd like to make sure he is alright.  
TG: uh okay i'm back!  
TG: wait, hold on.  
- ectoBiologist [EB] has reconnected to the group chat -  
EB: much better!  
EB: :D  
TG: john you are an embarrassment to the noble iphone you are using to communicate  
TG: cease this pointless debauchery at once  
EB: what are you talking about dave, it was only a smiley face!  
EB: :D :D :D  
TG: whatever i dont care that much  
EB: haha the pranking master wins once again!  
TG: you are such a fucking dork dude  
TG: i mean hopy shit  
TT: John, what happened in your City?  
EB: i have honest to god, no clue  
TG: did you open your crypt  
EB: well yeah.  
TT: Then I am forced to assume that whatever happened is a direct result of that, given what we know about our cities.  
TT: In which case, Jade, you are in serious trouble.  
GG: I know. I can hear them.  
TG: we need to see about getting you offworld as soon as possible  
GG: Easier said than done.  
GG: I'm kind of surrounded.  
GG: Like,  
TG: okay just for the record  
GG: I can just  
TG: i dont care whats surrounding you  
TG: were getting you out of there  
GG: Reach out and  
GG: poke one.  
TG: well dont  
GG: But they don't do anything when I do.  
GG: as long a I'm quiet, they don't even know I'm here.  
TG: just  
TG: just dont do anything okay  
TG please  
TT: I agree with Dave. The situation is too dangerous to be risking injury like that.  
TT: We don't even know what we are up against yet.  
GG: I know.  
GG: It's really creepy though.  
GG: I cant even see them most of the time.  
GG: And when I do….  
GG: They're right in front of me.  
TG: how about we just  
TG: keep you inside for now  
TG: and have you turn down the sound on whatever youre using right now  
GG: That's the problem, Dave.  
GG: I am inside.  
TG: but theyre not inside right  
GG: I didn't know they were already in my house when Rose told me to barricade myself in.  
GG: I'm sitting on my bed, watching like, three of them on the other side of the room.  
EB: dave, where are you going?  
GG: Dave, it's fine.  
GG: as long as I don't make too much noise, I'll be fine.  
TT: Dave, you worry about getting John to my house, I'll get Jade and meet you there.  
TG: ah fuck  
TG: fine  
TT: Thank you.  
TT: Jade, I'll be right there.  
TT: Keep your window open.  
GG: Okay.

Closing out of the program, Rose glanced to the Sburb window to see Dave hacking his way past a few of these new enemies to get back to the roof where John was watching his friend, and expression of exasperation on his face. Hoping that Dave could keep up his energy long enough to make it to John's second gate, Rose closed her laptop and proceeded to her own second gate, taking her into Dave's world. This place was blissfully absent of any sort of enemies, save for the odd imp that she dispatched without too much difficulty. It wasn't too much longer before she managed to get into Jade's world and was shocked by what she saw.

The people that Jade had talked about were everywhere, their bodies now almost completely frozen over. It was easy to see how she could lose track of them, as slow as they were. They matched their surroundings perfectly. Remembering what Jade said about stealth, she landed as quietly as possible on Jade's windowsill, motioning to her. Jade, who had been curled up on her bed, staring at the beings on the other side of the room, jumped to her feet. Quickly captchalouging her lunchtop, she took hold of Rose's hand, letting her drag her up onto her spherical roof. "Okay," Rose began. "We need to go back through your second gate and then through Strider's second gate. We'll reunite with John and Dave at my house."

"Alright. But how do we get there?"

"With the grist that we had to start with to build up our defenses and whatnot, I managed to create these needle wands. So long as you keep holding on to me, I can get us there without too much fuss."

A small nod was all that was given in response as she looped her arms around Rose's shoulders. And with that, they were off. It didn't take them long to get through the two gates they needed to get to her house again. Flying into her bedroom window, she let Jade slump onto her bed. "We're here. Now we just need to find where Strider and Egbert went."


End file.
